F1 returns to Africa for first time since 1993 with 10-year Rwanda deal from ‘early 2030s’

Formula One has confirmed Rwanda will join the calendar having concluded a 10-year agreement for the meeting to be hosted on a purpose-built circuit, with the first race set for the early 2030s. It will mark the first time F1 has raced in Africa since 1993.

The meeting, to be known as the African Grand Prix, will be held on a circuit in Bugesera, approximately 40km south of the capital Kigali and represents a successful conclusion to the sport’s long-held ambition to return to the African continent championed by Lewis Hamilton.

F1 last raced in Africa at Kyalami in South Africa in 1993 and seven-time world champion Hamilton has been outspoken in his belief that F1 should return, working behind the scenes to facilitate it.

“For the past six or seven years I’ve been fighting in the background to get a grand prix, sitting with stakeholders and asking the question: ‘Why are we not in Africa? There’s one on every other continent, why not Africa?’,” he said earlier this year.

The Rwanda track will be designed by WurzDesign, run by the former driver Alexander Wurz but no specific date has been set for the first race, with F1 only stating the “early 2030s”. That timescale allows for it to be built and then homologated to full FIA Grade 1 status, with a rendition of the circuit indicating an intent for it flow across the natural contours of the landscape.

South Africa – which hosted the race in East London from 1962-66 before it moved to Kyalami in 1967 – was also in the running to host a race amid a booming fanbase in the country. F1, however, went with the proposal from Rwanda and its long-term commitment. The new race is being backed by the Government of Rwanda and the Rwanda Development Board, who intend to develop the venue as destination, not only for motorsport but for promoting economic growth, including hosting events, conferences and entertainment.

The country has recently invested heavily in hosting sporting events, including the UCI Road World Championships, the ICC Women’s Challenge Trophy, the 2023 FIFA Congress and the Basketball Africa League. In 2024 Rwanda hosted the FIA prize-giving gala where the president, Paul Kagame, announced the intention to bid for a grand prix.

The country has however attracted accusations of sports washing, notably with Amnesty International forcefully criticising the Rwanda tourist board’s sponsorship of Aston Villa, citing that: “The country is prolific in arbitrary detention, torture and the repression of free speech.”

Kagame welcomed the return of F1, believing it would prove inspirational across the continent. “Rwanda is proud to host the Formula One African Grand Prix, and to share this moment with more than 100 million fans across Africa,” he said. “Many of them young people who deserve to see the sport at home and to see themselves in it: as engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs and, one day, drivers.”

The F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali insisted the agreement represented a broader long-term commitment between F1 and Rwanda.

“Today is a landmark moment for Formula One,” he said. “With Rwanda joining the calendar from the next decade, our sport will race in every inhabited continent. This is about much more than hosting a Grand Prix. Together, we can create lasting economic and social benefits through tourism, investment, skills development and local business growth, ensuring the positive impact of this event is felt for generations.”

South Africa, meanwhile, still harbours hope of bringing a Grand Prix back to the country, with sports minister Gatyon McKenzie reacting to reports Rwanda would be given the nod last week by posting on X: “Remember though that one country, Italy, has had two F1s a year, and some react like a continent of 55 countries can only get one. SA will get F1, even before 2030.”